


Lost dream

by we_only_post_trash_here



Series: Ren and Akira are twins AU (because I'm original) [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Confusing, Dialogue Heavy, Light Angst, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, Persona 5 Spoilers, Persona 5: The Royal, Unreliable Narrator, just a crappy au, most of the characters are only mentioned, persona 5 protagonist has a twin, some of my theories are here too, these are some theories about the game i've seen around, this is a mess i regret writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 18:18:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20030230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/we_only_post_trash_here/pseuds/we_only_post_trash_here
Summary: The moment Ren woke up he felt weird





	Lost dream

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, this has grammatical mistakes
> 
> You know what's the deal

The moment Ren woke up he felt weird

He didn’t know if it was the fact that the first thing he noticed upon opening his eyes was the ceiling of a very familiar attic, or the fact that there was someone sleeping with him in the same bed, which would have been weird because he’s sure he went to sleep last night with a cat and not a person

Groggily, Ren sat up on the bed and took a better look at the intruder; he had dark hair and was good looking. He briefly wonder what in the hell did he do last night to not only end up somehow in Leblanc’s attic but to end up waking up with a handsome guy…in Leblanc’s attic…in Tokyo…when he was supposed to be in Inaba with his mother

Everything _was_ weird

The handsome man began to stir and finally opened his eyes, which happened to be blue

A very familiar shade of blue, similar to…

“Morgana?” he asked

The guy only looked at him without saying anything and that made him wonder why he even called the guy with his friend’s name because there’s no way this guy can be-

“Good morning Ren”- the guy said, with a voice that didn’t fit his appearance because _it did sound _like Morgana- “Did you sleep well last night?”

Instead of answering, he limited himself to look at his supposed companion

“I thought so”- ‘Morgana’ said- “I _told you_ to go to sleep early last night but you never listen”

“I’m sorry…?” he honestly was confused at the whole situation, but for some reason he wasn’t freaking out, which he considered weird because that’s the reaction a normal human being would have in a situation like this

But somehow, _all of this _felt familiar

And he couldn’t pinpoint why

Morgana made an expression that looked like a pout, but before he could say anything, the voice of Sojiro was heard from downstairs

“It’s 7:00 am already, get your ass downstairs or you’ll be late”

So apparently today was a school day, which would be good and all if it wasn’t for the fact that he _isn’t _supposed to be in Tokyo, he _isn’t _supposed to go to Shujin and why does his uniform has a tiny button with a number two _when he was in his third year of high school!?_

Everything was really weird today

And going downstairs didn’t make things any better, in fact, it made things even more confusing

Behind the counter was Sojiro making coffee and serving what he assumed was curry (it surely didn’t look like it) and Futaba was sitting in one of the booths with her computer, a scene that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if it wasn’t for the fact that a very much alive Wakaba Isshiki was sitting in front of her, also using a computer. She looked at him and smiled. “Good morning Ren-kun”

A very much alive Wakaba Issiki who was in first name basis with him

He sat besides Futaba and Sojiro started giving them their plates and started eating

Wakaba glared at him from time to time and he noticed her eyes weren’t very much alive

* * *

Ren is not sure how, but he ended up sitting alone in the cafeteria

Which is weird considering he always eat with his friends in the classroom or in the school council meeting room; what was also weird is the fact that he had a big ass bento in front of him

He shouldn’t have that, why does he have that?

His confused thoughts were interrupted by someone, a girl, who sat next to him 

“Good afternoon Senpai”- the girl said to him- “Eating lunch by yourself?”- she also had a bento, bigger than his actually, and opened it. She took a moment to appreciate what was inside and Ren could swear he saw disappointment in her face- “Well, it’s not that surprising, after all, they all have their own things to do”

“Their own things…?” Ren looked at her and noticed she was someone he definitely didn’t know; bright red hair in a ponytail with a ribbon that was brighter, eyes that matched the color of her hair and a uniform very lacking of original style, just like his

“Yeah, you know”- she took an onigiri from her bento- “Like how Sakamoto-senpai is practicing with the track team, Takamaki-senpai hanging out with Suzui-senpai, Niijima-senpai and Okumura-senpai studying for college entrance exams…all of them seem pretty busy”- she took a bite of her onigiri and looked rather happy- “At least you have me to keep you company Senpai”

At some point she left, or more like she disappeared 

It actually felt as if she wasn’t there at all

But what she said made him uneasy in some many ways because Ryuji wasn’t supposed to be in the track team, Suzui wasn’t supposed to be here at Shujin, Makoto and Haru weren’t supposed to be studying for college entrance exams because they are supposed to be in college

Morgana wasn’t supposed to be human

Wakaba wasn’t supposed to be alive

He wasn’t supposed to have a kouhai

He wasn’t supposed to be Tokyo

* * *

Ren is not completely sure where he is, but he’s aware that he hasn’t leave the school yet. The room he was currently in had a different aura that Shujin, that’s for sure; it felt calmer and as if there was some kind of holy veil protecting it from the hostile ambience full of rumors the school is known for

He came to the conclusion that something was definitely wrong with him if he was able to formulate a thought like that

He took a look at the room, and even though it looked like a weird place to have at a school, it was somehow comforting; tiny yet not claustrophobic, the room had a couch (where he was currently sitting in) with a cushion placed besides him, two beds, pale pink curtains separating the beds, cabinets full of medicine and what he assumed was a desk, it was hard to say considering the amount of junk it had on top. He would dare to say that whoever spend their time in this room worked hard to made it cozy and almost homely

Only if you find and actual disaster of a room homely of course

Before he could make out more of the room’s extravagant personality, the door opened and behind it was a man. He didn’t look out of the ordinary: average height, a brown fluffy hair that looks similar to his, he was wearing a white lab coat, a blue tie and a pair of glasses

It was his first time seeing this person, but at the same time he felt it wasn’t

“Oh Amamiya-kun, you’re here early!”- the man said with excitement, something he found weird because adults at this school (except for Kawakami) wouldn’t talk to him like that- “I thought you would be here in 15 minutes, you know, because of the health committee and stuff”

After saying that, the man made a pause and his expression change considerably; it went from calm excitement to disappointed preoccupation

“You’re not skipping, are you?”- he said while walking to the other couch in the room. He sat on it- “I know you don’t like it, but not going would give you quite a few problems you know?” 

At this point Ren didn’t know what to say to all that, he wasn’t really following what’s really happening at the moment; where and why was he in this room? And most important of all, why in the actual fucking hell would he be involved with the health committee? He knows they do good by going around the school and asking people if they are injured or not, but he honestly wouldn’t spend his time with them

But before his thoughts could go any further, the man clapped his hands together rather loudly and talked again. “Oh that’s right! School activities were cancelled today”- he looked happy- “That’s good for us, it means we can go home early today!”

Ren really wanted to go home, he could sense a migraine coming

“So, how was your day? I saw you eating lunch alone today too”

Today too? What did that even mean? He had friends, he always eat with them

“But I also saw…what was her name again?”- he had put a hand under his chin and looked as if he was thinking of something- “Ah, ē̸̤̼̻͔ļ̴̮̈̐͌̓ö̴͇̳̃̃̓̄Ĳ̸̧̰͌²̴̧͙̐ľ̶̖̭̪̲̍͗̉Û̷̟̙̠͉͂͝Ā̶̡͕͕̀̚Ř̶͉͕̮͉͊Ų̵̦͖̕¶̸̞̝̎̌̅̕Į̶̭̣̯̺̾͑̓͒ -san that’s right”

The moment he said the person’s name, Ren couldn’t make it out. It sounded distorted and as if he was talking gibberish

“She sure is a kind person, I thought no one would spend time with you due to your record, but I’m happy to see that’s not the case!”

A kind person? Who was she? The only person who sat with him at that moment was…was…who? He couldn’t remember her face, her eyes had black scribbles on them, her voice sounded unhuman, who was she? _Who is she!?_ **_What is happening!?_**

“Anyway, for today’s session I would like to- Amamiya-kun!?”

Ren couldn’t bother to hear whatever that man had to said, he was concentrating in breathing like a normal human being but couldn’t; he also became aware that his heart was going at a speed that should be considered worrisome and that his hands were trembling

“Amamiya-kun it’s ok, try to breathe normally! You need to-“

He didn’t heard whatever that man had to say, everything became dark and he felt like falling into nothingness

* * *

From there, everything became even more weird, if that was possible

Everything around him was black; well not quite, more like the sunlight faded and looked like it was actually nighttime. He was somehow in Shibuya, surrounded by faceless people

It also looked as if time had stopped

From somewhere behind him, he heard the sound of static. He turned around to see one of Shibuya’s big screens; it wasn’t showing anything, just the sound of static and the image of gray it comes with…but then, a feminine voice came out of the screen

_I have…stolen other people’s dreams_

Stealing dreams? Was that even possible? He knew for a fact that stealing hearts was possible but dreams?

That’s when Ren came to a realization

He took out his cellphone and unlocked it, only to find a normal cellphone with a bunch of normal apps. Not red creepy eye ball could be seen, just mundane apps he doesn’t even use

But that meant, if there was no app then there was no metaverse

If there was no metaverse, then that means…he doesn’t have…they don’t…

“Thinking about such things won’t help you go anywhere” a voice said

Startled, he turned around, only to find (what he assumed was) himself behind him. The only difference was that this “he” had bright red eyes instead of his deep grey ones and was making an expression that didn’t match his (as Ryuji put it once) charming personality

Ren stood there dumbfounded for a second, making his clone chuckle. “Please, don’t make a face like that”- it sounded as a playful whine- “I was hoping for an emotional reunion, you know? We can hug and stuff!”

“Why would I hug myself?” he asked with confusion

The clone looked at him as if his question was the stupidest thing he has ever asked and, at this point, he believes it is; though, after all the nonsense he went through today, he tries to console himself thinking that it is normal reaction

“Are you an idiot?”- the clone asks, seemingly amused by his words- “Of course I’m not you, how could that even be possible?”

A disheartened chuckle escaped his lips. “After the day I had? It wouldn’t surprise me”

The other ‘him’ (now stated as not being a clone) continued looking at him, all signs of mockery he had before disappeared almost instantly and were replaced with an emotionless expression; one he considered quite unnerving considering it didn’t look like a face a person could make

Actually, it didn’t look like a face a _living_ person could make 

The ‘not clone’ sighed. “I can’t really say the details, we don’t have the time”- piercing bright red eyes looked at him- “I’ll keep it short and simple. You are inside a dream”

Well, that wasn’t…surprising at all. He assumed something along those lines was happening but he was actually glad to have a concrete answer. Now the question he needed an answer for was how did he get in this-

“You are probably asking yourself how you ended up in this situation”- his eyes widen and the ‘not clone’ smiled a little by that- “I can’t say I understand, so maybe my answer won’t be what you are expecting”

“Better to have an idea that not knowing anything at all”

“I suppose”- the ‘not clone’ placed his hand at the back of his neck- “Let’s just say you are in a collective dream right now, a place like Mementos but instead of being a palace of desires it is a palace of dreams”

It made sense, considering what that person (whose face and voice he can’t remember) said; if distorted desires could create a palace shared by people, it was plausible the existence of a palace created by peoples dreams

The ‘not clone’ continued. “But don’t get confused, you are not dreaming and you are not asleep. Right now you are inside of a collective palace where people’s lost dreams reside”

“Ok, now you lost me”- Ren put his hand the side of his head, it was beginning to hurt again- “A palace of lost dreams?”

“People have dreams that, for one reason or another, could never happen. Circumstances, lack of something, others getting in the way…all of these are factors that cause dreams to get shattered. That’s why this world exists, so those dreams don’t get lost or forgotten”

At least that make things more clear, but that doesn’t explain why he’s here

“Hey, don’t make a face like that”- the ’not clone’ said- “You know why you are here. Just because you finished all your business in Tokyo and accepted that you had to leave doesn’t mean you don’t dream on going back, you know?”

In hindsight, it made sense; it’s true that leaving Tokyo behind was part of overcoming his past and repairing his relationship with his mother was necessary, but it would be a lie if he says he doesn’t want to go back and live in Tokyo. But if that’s his lost dream, then his friends’ dreams…

“If you want to know, your friends are also here”- the ‘not clone’ interrupted his line of thought- “All of them have lost dreams too. For example, Ryuji wanted to go to a good college with an athletic scholarship, Ann wanted to be more with Shiho, Morgana wanted to be a human, Futaba and Sojiro-san wanted the same person back…”- he stopped and shrugged- “You get the idea, you have too many friends for me to count”

He didn’t really need to, Ren knows what everyone’s dreams are so it’s better for him to focus at what’s happening at the moment and how to fix it

“How come I’m the only one aware of this?”

“At the beginning you weren’t”- the ‘not clone’ expression changed to one more pensive- “I’m not sure if you noticed, but you are actually at the end of September”

The end of September? That couldn’t be, it was march when he left Tokyo

“Time here and time outside flows differently, days here could be just a couple of hours outside”

Was that supposed to explain how fast the day went by and how he just appeared in random locations? It didn’t really enlighten him

“Now comes the part that you’ll probably hate”- his expression changed yet again, but this time it looked like disappointment or something similar to it. Ren couldn’t tell- “You can take everyone out of this place without problem, but looking at how advanced the dream is, it would be hard to convince the general public that their current lives are not real”

“Then what should I do?”

The ‘not clone’ sighed. “The only help I can provide you is returning you to the start point of the dream and to slowly convince your friends and the general public that they are inside a dream”- he saw the desperation on Ren’s face and added quickly- “You were able to change people’s cognition before, it’s basically the same thing. Imagine the whole situation as a time loop, you’ll repeat your year in Tokyo and become a Phantom Thieve again to save the world from an imminent demise”

Ren took a look at the situation; did he really had to repeat his stay in Tokyo again? That didn’t sound bad but given the fact that he’s a person who just go by and accepts everything that happens to him, his year in Tokyo went like that and he just accepted that he could control demons, enter the minds of people and shot God in the face. Now, doing all that again but knowing the necessary steps to do it could be a great advantage but also knowing that everything could go wrong…even knowing that saving Okumura-san and Akechi would mean failure

He didn’t want to see those blank eyes on the news again, he didn’t want to hear those gunshots behind closed doors again

But then again, going by the logic that he’s a person who accepts that things just happen, it would mean that this is something he must accept too. He would be a hypocrite if he doesn’t

Also, the fact that those who are important to him are trapped in this place gives him enough motivation to do it

If he can save them, then he will

“I’ll do it”- he said with resolve- “Send me back to the beginning”

The ‘not clone’ closed his eyes and smiled at him, looking pleased with his answer. He snapped his fingers and behind him appeared a door painted in a familiar shade of blue. Ren started walking towards the door, as if he knew he could trust this person who looked so much like him; which leads to the question of why did he trusted him in the first place? As far as he knows he could be lying

“I’m here helping you and you still doubt me?”- the ‘not clone’ asked, the mocking tone was back- “That hurts, you know?

Ren couldn’t help but chuckle at the comment. As he continued walking towards the door, the ‘not clone’ grabbed his shoulder to stop him. “All this happened because of a person and that person was really close to you during the dream. I don’t know what their intentions are but…just be careful ok?”

He nodded as he was released. Once at the door he stopped and looked back. “Who exactly are you?”

The ‘not clone’ smiled. “I’m just someone’s lost dream”

And with that, Ren opened the door

* * *

The moment Ren woke up he felt weird

It felt like he had a long dream, doesn’t remember most of it

He slowly got up and got dressed. He went to the bathroom downstairs to wash his face and brush his teeth (he also went for other reasons but that doesn’t need more explanation). He noticed Sojiro hasn’t arrived yet so he went back up stairs to mess around on his phone for a bit; however, he didn’t went too far when he saw the date on the lock screen

Sunday, April 10th

Ah, that’s right. He almost forgot

Today is the day he and Sojiro go to Shujin, the school he’s attending this year

Today is the day his mission begins yet again 

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's late to the party ;)
> 
> I started writing this when the first trailers came out but a lot of things were going on around that time and I actually forgot I was writing it (something that happens more often that I would like to admit) and also the fact that I'm into persona 4 right now and I'm planning some fanfics of that


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